Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan

A historic temple on Hollywood Road dedicated jointly to the gods of literature and war, built in the 1840s by the early Chinese community of colonial Hong Kong. Its dim, richly decorated interior is famed for the enormous coils of incense that hang from the ceiling, filling the halls with fragrant smoke as they burn. Students once prayed here before imperial examinations, and the temple long served as a centre of community arbitration. A declared monument, it stands amid the antique shops of the district.